What are you looking for?
- Fr Raphael Ma, CR
- John 1: 35 - 42
A Resurrectionist Vocation Minute for January 14, 2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time
What are you looking for?
In today’s Gospel, Jesus asks two of his would-be disciples a question every person needs to hear Jesus personally address to them: “What are you looking for?”
It’s so easy for us to fall into the mindset that “being Catholic” as just a thing I do or group I belong to. A collection of “Spiritual beliefs” and “Gospel values” that make you a “Better person”. A community. A cultural identity. A special interest.
But this mindset will degenerate our faith from a love story into a project, whether we only occasionally dabble in this “project”, or devote our entire lives to it. As long as we have this mindset, we will no longer really even be Christian – except in a surface level, lip-service kind of way. But being Christian, being Catholic, was never meant to be just a compartment of our lives.
Being a Catholic Christian has the potential to fill every aspect of life – every decision, failure, triumph – with personal meaning and satisfaction, because it is a personal invitation from Jesus. It will be a gradual process, and we need the help of others along the way – like Samuel in our first reading, and Simon Peter in today’s Gospel. But it begins with a question that Jesus is asking you: “what are you looking for?”
“Human development proceeds by gradual stages, and divine grace respects the human condition. Therefore, formation should emphasize a gradual and progressive development in learning the theory and practice of intense Christian living within religious life, and in forming sound convictions leading to mature decisions and total dedication.”